Warriors players want embattled coach McClennan to stay at the club

In light of recent results, the embattled Warriors coach Brian McClennan is under some pressure to retain his job as head coach – but in a positive message for him, the players and the dressing room, are all behind him.

Coming off five straight defeats, the pressure to win a game is mounting – but if the Warriors can finish the season strongly, it may just save the man they call ‘Bluey’, and see him retain his role.

Although the media suggest that we could see the end of McClennan at the club, the players have faith in him, and believe that the draw has not been an easy one for him, particularly in his first season as a head coach in the NRL.

“Brian’s a great coach and he deserves more than what he’s getting,” back rower Elijah Taylor said. “I think as players, we need to look at ourselves.

“When we’re going good, the players get the wraps, but when a team is going bad, the coach suffers.

“I think that’s unfair but we’re in a business and we all know that.

“Everybody has got their KPIs [key performance indicators], you could say, to perform just like a player.

“But all the boys are 100 per cent behind Bluey McClennan.”

Although he may be leaving at season’s end to join Penrith, current Warriors utility Lewis Brown also believes McClennan should stay, citing a lack of depth due to many injuries, as a root cause of their problems.

“We haven’t had the depth that we’ve had in the squad over the last couple of years and everyone deserves a better shot,” Brown said.

“Just because things haven’t gone his way this year, what’s to say they might make the top eight, or the grand final, next year. You can’t just judge a man on one year.

“It’s important for the club to not chop and change too much. If anything, you gain experience from this and how to deal with it better.”

The Warriors five straight defeats have seen three narrow games against the Sea Eagles, Broncos and Knights, but also two ugly ones – when they conceded 97 points in two weeks, following successive losses to the Cowboys and the Sharks.

“It’s a tough time,” Brown admitted.

“It’s the first time I’ve been involved with this with the club. In 2009, it was my debut season and I was happy to be in the side, let alone winning games.

“We’ve got to keep our spirits high – we’re still human at the end of the day, and we’ve got to live life.

“Things aren’t going our way at the moment, so we just have to deal with it and it’s not the end of the world.”